Lose Yourself
by Angel Rose2
Summary: *Co-write* Being the Sorceress's Knight is beginning to take it's toll on Seifer. He's losing himself within his own ego, trying to seize every moment. And when an engagement is tossed into it, will Seifer lose everything, including himself? R&R please!!
1. Look, if you had one shot or one opportu...

Disclaimer: We only own Alexia Krycek. All other characters are property of Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: Hey all! This is our first fic on our co-write account, Angel Rose, and we hope you'll enjoy it! As you might already know, Seifer is Lindsay's favorite FFVIII guy (don't worry, Squall is a very close second ^_~) she loves writing about him, and that's why this is something that came to mind for her, that I joined in on. It's basically what it would be like for a girl he meets at Galbadia and falls in love with while he's set on destroying Balamb Garden with Edea. Ahh, how we love sadistic romances, lol. Enjoy!  
  
  
Alexia Krycek laid in bed, holding her hand out at arm's length, the engagement ring on her finger glittering like the stars that twinkled outside. The rain was tapping on the window pane, giving the dormitory a warm, cozy feeling. The only source of light was that from the moon hanging in the velvety blanket above Galbadia Garden. Everyone was asleep, she figured. Everyone but her. She had too many thoughts streaming through her head to sleep. Most of them had to do with the person lying next to her.   
  
Alexia was eighteen years old, one of the much younger members of Galbadia Garden. She had golden blonde hair that rested just past her shoulders, and an almost electric shade of blue eyes. She was training to be a sharpshooter, something she'd been interested in since she was a little girl. Her father was a big military buff, although he never joined the G-Army himself. Her mother was an instructor there though. Tall, beautiful and intelligent were three words many people used to describe her. Now, both her parents were dead, killed during a raid on Galbadia years ago.   
  
She sighed and rolled the hem of her pajamas in her fingers. Her eyes traveled to Seifer Almasy, who was silently slumbering at her side. Seeing him brought a warm smile to her cherry lips, but it quickly faded. At night was really the only time she spent with him anymore, and most of that time was spent sleeping. How could she be marrying him when they didn't even spend any time together anymore? He was so sweet and caring, but now, he seemed like a totally different person. He was so caught up in being Edea's "knight" that he hardly ever did anything else besides bark orders and visit with the Sorceress.   
  
Edea wanted to find someone. A girl named Ellone, who had the amazing power to go into the past. Edea wanted to use her for Time Compression, whatever that was. Alexia didn't fully understand it, and she didn't think Seifer did either. He was just so caught up in being in control that he didn't even care if he understood what he was supposed to do. He just did it because it made him feel special. It made him feel needed; it made him feel like a man. But Alexia had to ask the question... Didn't *she* make him feel that way?  
  
She reached out and ran a hand through his spikey golden hair, causing him to stir. She didn't expect his emerald eyes to slowly open though, and she pulled back her hand quickly.   
  
A lazy smile appeared on his face. "No, keep doing that. It felt good."  
  
She smiled back, although it was only half-hearted. "You never do anything for me," she replied. He reached out and draped his arm around her, pulling her close enough to him so that the smell of his cologne could envelope her just as it always did whenever he wore it.  
  
"Well then what would you like me to do Lexi?" he asked as he laid his head on hers.   
  
"You should know," came the response.   
  
He let out a forced groan. "But I'm tired..." he grumbled.  
  
Alexia let out a laugh and playfully smacked him in the chest. "I wasn't talking about *that* Seifer. I meant you're hardly ever around anymore."  
  
Seifer realized Alexia wasn't joking anymore. "Alexia, you know that I have a lot do to, especially since Edea thinks Ellone might be somewhere in Balamb. She's so close to Time Compression she can almost taste it!" A strange excitement radiated off of him; it was almost unnatural, but she just ignored it.  
  
"Really? Did she tell you that?" Alexia asked as she raised an eyebrow.  
  
He nodded, seeing as how she wasn't as joyous as he was. "Edea will treat us good Lexi. She'll make sure our wedding is big and beautiful, with lots of people."  
  
"I see... Well if she's so wonderful maybe you should be marrying her instead of me." Contempt dripped from the girl's voice and Seifer was taken aback.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
She glared over at him, her dazzling sapphire orbs burning right through his emerald ones. "You really don't get what I'm saying? Seifer, you don't even know what Edea really wants with Ellone! Time Compression, yeah, but do you really understand the concept of it? Because I sure don't..."  
  
"Of course I do. Time Compression is... Well it's..." He saw the mocking look on Alexia's face and sighed. "Fine, I have no idea what it is, all right? But Edea wants it and that's all there is to it."  
  
"What if it's going to destroy the world?" Alexia asked blandly.   
  
Seifer stared into her eyes. "It won't. Edea doesn't want to destory the world."  
  
"And how do you know? She's a Sorceress for Hyne's sake. Sorceress instill fear in people. Don't you read history books Seifer? There have been wars with Sorceresses for as far back as people can remember. Doesn't that tell you something?"  
  
"Edea's different."  
  
"Seifer how the hell do you know so much about Edea? Does she sit there and tell you all about herself while you two drink tea and eat crumpets at a long fancy dinner table? And even if that was the case, it could all be a bunch of lies anyway."  
  
Seifer grasped her wrist and gave it a squeeze. "Lexi, what's gotten into you?" His eyes were full of concern, as if she were sick with some deadly disease rather than angry and upset with him.   
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just you'd rather spend more time being a lapdog than with me!"  
  
"Lexi, knock it off. You're being ridiculous."  
  
"You know what, I don't even wanna talk to you about it anymore." She turned over and shut her eyes, with absolutely no intention of falling asleep. She was too riled up now, but she didn't want him to know that.   
  
He placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping to make amends before she left him for the night. "Lexi..."   
  
She roughly shook off his hand and grumbled, "Don't touch me." She heard him sigh and listened as he turned the opposite way as well. She blinked back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She wouldn't weaken right after she'd just told him off. Too bad she was so stubborn, or she might have turned over again and let him comfort her.   
  
  
  
  
So what do you think? I like it so far, and it's gonna get even better as it continues. And don't worry, for those of you wondering how the Seifer/Alexia relationship started, I'm going to go into more detail about it in future chapters, just bear with me, okay? Please review (but no flames!) and I'll hopefully get the next chapter up shortly. 


	2. To seize everything you ever wanted in o...

Disclaimer: All FFVIII characters belong to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody! Hope to see more soon ^_~   
  
  
  
  
Alexia inhaled the crisp morning air, fresh from the rain during the night. She didn't open her eyes immediately, and let her others senses sharpen before she relied on sight again. Something smelled so good... And something felt even better. She curled up tighter underneath the cotton sheets, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as an involuntary smile crept to her mouth. Everything was so wonderful, until she remembered what had happened the night before. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around the room before turning over to see Seifer was still fast asleep. The scent of his cologne was still as strong as it had been before, but never too strong for her liking.   
  
Although he looked so inviting, she couldn't bring herself to stop being angry with him. It wasn't even bad enough that he was acting the way he was. It was the fact that he didn't realize it.   
  
His eyes fluttered as the light from the window fell upon them and he soon awoke, staring over at Alexia before giving her a weak smile. He wasn't sure if things had changed since their argument, and if they had, he didn't want her thinking he still held her in contempt. "Morning," he said lazily.  
  
She said nothing as she slid out of bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door noisily behind her. Seifer let out a groan and put his hands over his face, rubbing the sleep from his heavy eyes. There was no use in chasing her in there; that would surely make matters worse. He could envision it all in his mind. He'd go in there, she'd scream "pervert!" and some sort of big heavy object would come in contact with his face. No, it just wasn't worth it.  
  
He heard the shower water turn on, but Alexia emerged for a moment to grab her day clothes from one of the drawers at the side of the dim room. She didn't even glance at him as she turned back to the bathroom door.  
  
"Alexia, will you just please *talk* to me?" he pleaded. When silence was all that came back to him, he tried a different approach. "Well then would you at least give me some sort of way to know how you feel?"  
  
She turned around swiftly, keeping her lips pursed tightly and her eyes fixed directly on his. She raised her arm, giving him the finger before re-entering the bathroom and slamming the door a second time. Seifer pounded a fist against the frame of the bed.   
  
It seemed like forever until the water turned off and Alexia came out, wearing a black clingy short sleeved shirt and hip hugging faded jeans. She smelled like raspberries, the kind of shampoo she always used. Her hair was somewhat soaked, but she was ernestly drying it with the towel she'd brought out with her. Seifer was still seated on the bed, just watching her as she walked around the small dorm, picking up and putting in a pair of earrings, running a brush through her hair, and slipping on her pair of black heeled boots. Finally, she let out a sigh and spoke to him. "Why do you keep staring at me?" she asked, sounding irritated.  
  
"Because I'm trying to figure out what has you cranking," came the monotone response. It was unusual for Seifer to not have a smart, cocky comeback, even with Alexia.  
  
"Seifer if you don't get it by now, I don't think you ever will," she told him with a shake of her head.   
  
"Lexi, I thought you liked Edea. Wasn't it you who was always saying how much you looked up to her? How she had so much poise and elegance and everything? What happened to that attitude?"  
  
She set the brush down on the dresser and refused to look him in the face. "I... I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right, that's all." Her voice was downhearted, Seifer could sense it without even hearing her speak though. He just didn't know why exactly. But whenever he asked to try and clear things up, that would only upset her more. What was he supposed to do?  
  
"Lexi, you can talk to me about it, I promise." He slowly approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist carefully, making sure he wasn't invading her personal space. Normally she wouldn't mind and would welcome such actions with open arms, but now he wasn't so sure. She stood there for a few moments, allowing him to hold her long enough to know she wasn't totally angry with him anymore, but she broke away and exited the dorm without saying another word.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Galbadia Garden was so quiet anymore. It was an eerie quiet, not a peaceful one. You could tell something was going on inside it, something no one was to know about. Something secretive and dangerous. Was Alexia the only one who felt that way? Or was it just her overactive imagination that was playing tricks on her again? Either way, she didn't like it. And even Seifer was being caught up in everything that was going on, which he didn't understand either.   
  
In the midst of her daydreaming, she'd walked straight into someone who had been coming from the training area. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going..." Alexia replied immediatly.  
  
"Don't worry about it," came a familiar voice.  
  
Alexia smiled. "Oh, hey Cory. Training again I see?"  
  
Cory Nights ran a hand through her long red hair. "Of course. One can never be too skilled, right?"  
  
Alexia nodded her agreement. "That's right. At least that's what you always say."  
  
Cory began giggling. "You bet! So what about you Lexi? What are you up to? You and Seifer usually don't come out of that dorm until at least 11," the nineteen year old said with a wink.   
  
Alexia rolled her eyes. "Will you cut it out? I didn't feel like being with him anymore this morning."  
  
Cory raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, a little fight? What about?"  
  
"No, it's not a fight. We just... had a little disagreement, that's all. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"You sure? You look a little depressed. Anything you wanna talk about? I *am* your best friend after all." Cory smiled, hoping it would cause Alexia to smile as well.  
  
Alexia did smile, but it was only to satisfy her friend. "I know, but no thanks. I'll be fine. If I need someone to talk to though, I'll come looking for you."  
  
"Okay, it's a deal. But hey, did you wanna go to the cafeteria? There may not be a big selection left, but at least it'll be pretty empty."  
  
"All right. I don't have anything better to do anyway." The two girls began walking towards the eastern wing of Galbadia Garden. Cory Nights was a nineteen year old member of the G-Army. She had beautiful long red hair. Not auburn or copper, but red. Blood red. And she had gorgeous green eyes, ones that almost resembled Seifer's. She was a martial arts expert, or at least she hoped to be one someday, but her fighting skills were definitely a force to be reckoned with. She most certainly had talent. Her parents were divorced, and she lived with her father when she wasn't living in a dorm at Garden. She hadn't seen her mother since she was four years old, so she didn't talk about her too much.  
  
"Lexi! Earth to Lexi!" Cory called, waving a hand in front of her face. "Are we gonna go in or just stand here and stare at the pretty metal doors?"  
  
Alexia gave Cory a playful shove into the cafeteria, laughing the entire time. As soon as they entered, a hand shot up into the air, waving wildly. "Oh look, it's Sydney and Blaze. The two most annoying people on the planet," Cory whispered as they waved back.  
  
"Oh come on Cor, they're not annoying. They're just... over eager about everything."  
  
Cory shot Alexia a look. "And that has *got* to be the understatement of the century." They made their way over to the table and sat down, Cory secretly making faces behind Sydney and Blaze's backs and Alexia trying to stifle her laughter.  
  
"Hey you guys! Good morning!" Sydney said in a singsong manner.  
  
"Hey," Alexia and Cory said in unison. Cory made a gagging motion.  
  
Alexia thought that was the perfect time to go up and buy some food, and she drug Cory up into the short line along with her. "Cor, if you don't knock it off you're gonna make me piss myself, and I *think* they'd notice if I did that."  
  
Cory laughed heartily. "All right, all right. I'm sorry Lexi. I'll stop."  
  
Alexia shot her a disbelieving look. "You promise?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
After taking a healthy amount of breakfast foods such as French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage and orange juice, Cory and Alexia sat back down, where Blaze and Sydney were fervently discussing something. Blaze turned to Alexia. "So... you nervous?"  
  
Alexia exchanged a glance with Cory, then looked back over at the brunette boy sitting across from her. "Why would I be nervous?"  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Alexia shrugged. "Wow... I thought he would've at least mentioned it by now..."  
  
"Who? Mentioned what? What are you talking about?" Alexia asked as she leaned forward over the table.  
  
"Whoa, retract the claws there, kitty. I'll tell you. You're the only sharpshooter in Galbadia Garden right? After Irvine left I mean. Well Edea wants you to be the one to assassinate the Headmaster over at Balamb Garden. Then she wants you to do the same thing to President Deling."  
  
Both Cory's and Alexia's eyes widened. "What?!" Cory exclaimed.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait... She wants *me* to assassinate both the Headmaster at Balamb Garden *and* the President? Why? I thought Edea and the President were working on the same side! And I thought Edea wanted to *talk* with the Headmaster to have him help find that Ellone girl," Alexia said.  
  
"I guess not. I don't know what's going on, but apparently all of it was Seifer's idea."  
  
"What was all Seifer's idea?" Alexia asked suspiciously.  
  
"Everything. You being the one to assassinate those two people, I mean. He went and suggested it to Edea and she agreed."  
  
Alexia turned to Cory. "Why would he do that??"  
  
Cory shrugged; the shocked look still plastered on her pretty face. "I don't know, but you'd better go and find out."   
  
  
  
  
There's the next chapter. We hope you like it so far. We need more reviews people! More reviews! This is going to get pretty dramatic, so please let us know what you think. See you in the next chapter! Oh yeah, and REVIEW!!! ^_~ 


	3. Would you capture it or just let it slip...

Alexia made her way back to the dorm where she'd left Seifer. She was so angry, but at the same time, she was also so confused. Why would Seifer suggest something like that? She was almost positive that he didn't have anything against neither the Headmaster nor the President. Or did he...? She couldn't be sure anymore, but the one thing she did know was that she needed to find out what he was up to.  
  
"Seifer?" she called as she opened the door. The dorm was silent and dark. The tv was off, and the curtains were drawn as well. Alexia scanned the room twice before coming to the conclusion that Seifer was no longer there. "Now where did he go...?" She scoffed at his actions and turned to leave the dorm and emerged back out in the hall. She looked up and down it, but it too was empty.  
  
She walked down into the main hall and searched the groups of people for someone who might know where Seifer had gotten to. She was almost about to give up when she saw Bryce, a guy who she'd seen talking with Seifer quite a few times in the past. Maybe he would have an inkling of where he'd be. She went over and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and greeted her with a smile.  
  
"Hey Lexi. I haven't seen you in a while. What's up?" he asked kindly.  
  
"Well actually, I was wondering if you knew where Seifer was. I... need to talk to him about something."  
  
Bryce thought a moment. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since yesterday morning when he went to talk with the Sorceress. Sorry, but I have no idea where he is now."  
  
"Wait, he went to talk with her just yesterday?" Alexia echoed. "Do you know what he wanted to see her about?"  
  
Bryce shook his head. "Nope. All I know is that he went into her chambers and came out about a half hour later. Then he just... disappeared almost."  
  
Alexia nodded. "Okay, thanks anyway. I'm sure I'll find him somewhere. See ya."  
  
"Bye Lexi."  
  
She turned around and began walking, not watching where she was going until she bumped into something hard. She bounced back, but whoever she'd just walked into didn't budge. "I really have to stop walking into people like this... I'm sorry." She looked up to see Raijin hovering over her, Fujin standing beside him. "Oh! Raijin! Fujin! Hey!"  
  
Raijin began laughing heartily. "It's okay. Didn't feel a thing, ya know?"  
  
"Well still, I should've been watching where I was going," Alexia replied.  
  
Fujin's eye was full of concern. "PROBLEM?"  
  
"Um, actually, yeah, sort of anyway. I was looking for Seifer. I really need to talk to him, but I can't find him anywhere. Do either of you know where he is? Or even where he might be?"  
  
Fujin immediatly shook her head. "SORRY."  
  
Raijin looked over at her. "Whaddaya mean 'sorry'? We just saw Seifer goin' into the -- OWWW!!!! Geez, Fujin, you don't have to be so violent, ya know?"  
  
Alexia looked at both of them. "What? What were you saying?"  
  
Raijin bent down and rubbed his shin where Fujin had just placed her foot. "Ow..."  
  
"Fujin?" Alexia asked hopefully.  
  
She shook her head, her silver hair flickering under the florescent lights overhead.  
  
"Come on Fujin, this is really important. I won't tell him you told me. Please?"  
  
Fujin seemed to be contemplating a response, but she simply shook her head again and remained quiet. She gave a nod to Raijin and they both turned and walked away.  
  
"Since when are they so secretive?" Alexia asked herself. "They always tell me everything..." She thought a moment, then it came to her. Seifer had to be with Edea; there was no other explanation. But why was that such a big ordeal? Why wasn't she supposed to know he was there? Something definitely wasn't right.  
  
She spun on her heels and began walking in the direction of the Sorceress's Chambers, which was hidden deep in the back of Galbadia Garden. She reached the doors in record time probably, and stared at them for a while. Two elaborately decorated golden doors which were dramatically set apart from the other doors stuck out like a sore thumb. Hardly anyone ever passed them, aside from Seifer, and maybe a few other people she didn't quite know of. As she stood there, lost in thought once again, the sound of voices flowed from the opposite side of the door. She put her ear up against it and held her breath, listening to the two people speak.  
  
"You're sure this is going to work?" a silky female voice asked.  
  
There was silence for an instant. "Yes."  
  
Alexia recognized the voices immediatly. Seifer and Edea. "There is no room for error. If something were to go wrong, this entire mission will be over. I'm going to ask you once more: You're sure this is going to work my Knight? Nothing will go wrong?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
More silence.  
  
"All right then. You may go. See to it that she does not defy my orders. Let it be known that if she does not comply, she will be prosecuted."  
  
She? Are they talking about me? Alexia thought. Her fists clenched, but she remained still and silent.  
  
"Yes Edea." There was a sadness to his voice that was somewhat strange. After their conversation, there was the sound of footsteps. Alexia quickly backed away from the door and rounded the hall. She heard the doors open and close and saw Seifer as he walked in the opposite direction.  
  
"Seifer!"  
  
He turned around and smiled. "Hey Lexi. What are you doing here?"  
  
"That's what I was about to ask you. I've been looking everywhere for you!"  
  
His brow furrowed. "Really? How come?"  
  
Alexia blushed a fresh shade of crimson. What could she possibly tell him? That she was eavesdropping outside and heard their conversation? That she suspected she was being talked about? There was no reasonable explaination. So she went with the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"I was um...waiting for you back here. Bryce said you might be here, so I just was waiting. Yeah, I was waiting."  
  
Brilliant, Alexia, she scolded herself. She noted Seifer's eyebrow raising at her odd behavior, but attempted to act natural. "Why were you looking for me?"  
  
She averted her eyes, and tried to think of where to start. Now what could she say? "Well, it actually has to do with what I heard from other people when it should've come from you," she said with a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Why did Blaze and Sydney bring up the subject of me assassinating Prseident Deling and the headmaster of Balamb Garden? And why did they tell me you suggested it to Edea?"  
  
Seifer didn't respond right away, which only made Alexia more suspicious of his behavior. "I was going to talk to you about it Lexi, I swear," he told her, an almost pleading look in his emerald eyes.  
  
She placed a hand on her hip. "Well, you can tell me right now."  
  
His wandering eyes were quite obviously searching for a believable answer. She tapped her foot in impatience, and waited for him to speak. He met her eyes, emotions raging within them.  
  
"You know I have no choice when it comes to things like this, Lex. I was going to tell you about it this morning, but you got all pissy and wouldn't let me talk to you."  
  
Alexia narrowed her eyes. "You know who's fault that was, Seifer?"  
  
In return, he kicked at the floor. "You don't understand!" The burst came unexpectantly, and it caused Alexia to jump.  
  
She rose her voice to challenge his, not seeming as threatening as he did despite her determination. "What wouldn't I understand?! I'm asking you to tell me and you keep stalling! Apparently whatever it is, you don't want me to know about."  
  
Seifer shook his head. "It isn't that. It's just... I wasn't sure if you'd get the wrong impression if I told you about it."  
  
She looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"It just seems like... I'm using you or something, just to help Edea, when I'm really not. And then what you were saying about her last night... It made me want to keep everything a big secret even more."  
  
Her eyes dropped to the floor. She couldn't think of anything to say right away. "Seifer... this is just really complicated, that's all. It's not that I wouldn't understand, but... it would just be really difficult, you know?"  
  
Seifer's eyes searched around the room, making it obvious that he was deep in thought. "We-well, I told Edea it would be a good plan for the carryout of the sniping. The whole Garden knows what a great sniper you are, Lexi, and I knew it would help Edea. I meant to ask you, but it just made me nervous with the way you were talking about her..."  
  
Alexia's eyes softened, listening to the words come from her fiance. Knowing how she felt about Edea, she still wasn't sure she wanted to do what they'd asked of her, but for Seifer, she was willing. "I... I guess if you need me that badly, I can do it. I'll need time to prepare, and instructions..."  
  
Seifer lit up like a Christmas tree the second he heard the words escape her mouth. Scooping her in his arms, he planted a warm kiss on her lips. "Thank you so much!"  
  
Surprised by the reaction but pleased with the reward, Alexia smiled up at him. "You'll help me prepare, won't you?"  
  
He returned a smirk. "Why wouldn't I help my best girl?"  
  
Alexia smiled as he slipped his hand in hers and led her in the direction of the dormitory. Try as she might, she just couldn't get rid of her doubt. Sure, she had the best marksmanship in Galbadia Garden, but that didn't make it any easier for her to put those skills to work. Taking out monsters was no problem, but to take another human's life... especially people who were so important... Even with Seifer backing her up, she was still unsure.  
  
She felt him give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey... you all right?" he asked sincerely.  
  
She brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Um, yeah. I'm fine."  
  
He gave her a look, but remained silent, giving the impression he believed her words. He didn't though. He knew something was on her mind. He just didn't know how to get her to tell him what was bothering her. Alexia was complex, and if you pushed the wrong buttons with her, she could turn on you like a snake. But at other times, she could be the sweetest and most loving girl in the world.  
  
They stopped in front of the dorm that they shared and stepped inside, shutting the door behind them.  
  
Alexia set the keycard softly down on the bar. Their room was small, but it was clean and comfortable. She walked slowly toward the bathroom, making sure Seifer didn't follow her too closely, and shut the door with a faint click behind her.  
  
Inside the bathroom, Alexia turned down the toilet seat, and sat on top of it, rubbing her temples with her forefingers. How could she prepare herself to murder two people in one night? There was no way to, she decided. Preperation for something like this was almost impossible. All she could do was wait for the day to come...and hope she fulfilled Seifer's hopes.  
  
Seifer moved toward the bathroom door. Leaning against it, he knocked quietly, saying into the crack of the door, "You okay, Lex?"  
  
She lifted her face out of her hands and stared at the door, which was inched open the slightest bit. She knew she was acting ridiculous, hiding in the bathroom just so she didn't have to face her feelings. And Seifer should've been the easiest person to express them to, but he wasn't. She swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'm okay..." She stood up and flushed the toliet so he thought she'd actually gone in there for a reason.  
  
She took the doorknob in her hand and pulled open the door, being greeted by Seifer's concerned face. She slipped past him and went over to the small loveseat that was placed at the back end of the room, seating herself in it and turning on the televsion.  
  
Seifer proceeded in the same direction and sat beside her. "Lexi... Just please talk to me. I know there's something still bothering you."  
  
She kept her oceanic eyes locked on the screen, although she wasn't paying any attention to what was on. She heard everything Seifer said loud and clear, but didn't have any idea of how to respond.  
  
Seifer reached over, desperate now, grabbed the remote, and watched the TV flick off. That caused Alexia to turn to him with an angry glare. "What'd you do that for? I told you, I'm fine!"  
  
Despite the fact that she wasn't watching a thing, it still angered her that he'd butt in to what she was doing. "Because you're closing yourself off from me! You should be able to talk to me. If this whole thing with Edea is bothering you, just tell me, goddammit."  
  
She shifted her gaze to a picture of Seifer, Raijin, Fujin and her on the wall, noting the time it was taken. "Yes, that is what's bothering me, okay? How would you feel if you were told you had to murder two people all in the same night? Not too great, I'm guessing. I just need some time, okay Seifer?"  
  
His face softened and he followed her gaze to the photo on the wall. "I never really thought too much about that... I'm sorry."  
  
She looked over at him. "It's... it's alright. Just as long as you don't push me, I'll be okay. I just need time that's all."  
  
He smiled over at her, taking his eyes off the picture as well. "I promise, you take all the time you need. Edea didn't say anything about a deadline, and I'm sure she understands that you can't be expected to be ready in just a day or two."  
  
A smile crept to her lips as well. "Okay then. But just remember, I'm doing this for you, so you'll owe me."  
  
Seifer smirked knowingly, raising a curious eyebrow. "Oh really? Owe you how? Will it benefit me too?"  
  
Alexia gave him a playful swat, and he feigned hurt. "You're sick! Just know you owe me in some form, no matter what your mind may fantasize."  
  
He laughed, and pushed her down into the couches soft folds. With a whisper of, "I love you," he kissed her lips softly, letting it last for however long they would permit. 


	4. Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, ar...

Disclaimer: FFVIII and all it's characters belong to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: We hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!!  
  
Alexia awoke slowly. The room was darker now, and her eyes lazily scanned the room for the clock on the dresser. "Seven-thirty?!" she exclaimed. Her shout caused Seifer to stir, who was laying beside her on the couch with his arm around her waist.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked groggily as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry for waking you up." She looked out the window. It was dark out now. Being that she'd slept for quite a while during the day, she'd never get her right rest that night. She would be wide awake until at least four or five. "It's just we slept the day away."  
  
Seifer stretched his arm out to the side. "Who cares? We didn't have anything better to do."  
  
"You mean you didn't have anymore meetings with Edea? Or any orders to give?" Alexia asked dryly.  
  
He didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in her tone. "No, but I do tomorrow." He unhooked his arm from around her body and stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked as she sat up. The absence of Seifer's body heat left her chilly, so she wrapped her arms around her knees and set her chin on them.  
  
"I need a shower. I'll be right back."  
  
Alexia squinted her eyes as the bathroom light came on, and asked in a puzzled tone, "Where are you going that you need to take a shower?"  
  
Seifer turned to face her on the couch before he shut the door, and replied, "I thought we'd see what Fuj and Raijin are doing. Why don't you call them and we'll all go out together somewhere? We're obviously not going to be able to sleep now."  
  
Just as she was thinking. The idea of hanging out with Seifer and his friends that night seemed appealing to her. Now that she was freshly rested, it would be easy to stay out late and not worry about the following morning. Excited now, she nodded at his suggestion. "Sure!" she said, and grabbed for the phone.  
  
As Seifer disappeared behind the bathroom door and the sound of running water became audible, Alexia dialed the number of Fujin's dorm room first. The phone rang several times before Fujin's unmistakeable voice was heard on the other end.  
  
"HELLO?"  
  
"Hey Fujin, me and Seifer were wondering if maybe you'd wanna go out with us. Maybe to a nightclub or somewhere like that?"  
  
Fujin was quiet for a moment. "SURE. WHEN?"  
  
"Um... in about a half hour I guess. We'll meet you at the front gate, okay?"  
  
"OKAY. EXCITED."  
  
Alexia almost began laughing. She couldn't help but think of it as odd that Fujin was excited, when she hardly *sounded* like it.  
  
Alexia hung the phone up gently, and changed out of her wrinkled clothes. She put on a low-cut tan shirt with bell sleeves, and a short jean skirt, freshening her makeup and re-doing her hair as she heard Seifer shut the shower off.  
  
She heard the door to the bathroom squeak open, and a dripping Seifer stepped out, wrapped from the waist down in an indigo colored towel. He looked her up and down as she applied mascara, and raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Well, well," he commented, placing his already dry hands on her shoulders and breathing in perfume she'd just put on. "I like."  
  
She smirked to herself and made note of the towel he was wearing, which was the *only* thing he was wearing. "No. *I* like." She took his arm and pulled him down to sit beside her, not minding that the couch was now as sopping as he was. She leaned forward and kissed his wet lips.  
  
He laughed quietly and stood up. "Come on, I have to get dressed."  
  
"No you don't," she said looking up at him with an exaggerated pout.  
  
Seifer smiled and shook his head, making his way over to the small closet at the back of the room and opening it. "You called Fujin and Raijin didn't you?"  
  
"Well I called Fujin, and she wants to come, but I didn't call Raijin yet. I just figured if she's going, he will too, you know?"  
  
Seifer nodded as he pulled out a white short sleeved shirt and black pants. "That's true." Alexia watched him comb his sleek, damp blonde hair back in the mirror, and asked, "How long have you guys been friends again?"  
  
Seifer stopped combing his hair back, and stared back at Alexia. "As long as I can remember. Since I got to that Godforsaken Garden, I think."  
  
Alexia looked away. She knew his hatred toward Balamb Garden, but couldn't understand why it was that he felt that way. She knew he was faithful to the Sorceress, but what reason did he have then to hate the Garden?  
  
"So you guys have known each other for a long time...why does Fujin only talk in BIG WORDS LIKE THIS?"  
  
Seifer chuckled slightly, and turned away from the mirror. He leaned over and fell onto the bed, looking up at her. "Raijin and I never could figure out what brought that on. I always figured it had to do with her homelife. And maybe it just stuck like that. She does talk in full sentences ocassionally, though."  
  
"I look forward to that day," Alexia responded, stifling a giggle. He glared playfully at her, and tickled her sides, causing her to outburst in laughter. "Stop, stop! No!"  
  
Eventually she took a pillow from the bed and slammed it in his face, causing the torture to end. Both were laughing hysterically by that time. "That was hardly fair," he told her.  
  
"All is fair in love and war Seifer," Alexia told him with a wag of her finger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked deep into his eyes. "Hey, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, what is it?"  
  
She hesitated. "You used to go to Balamb Garden, right?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"Well then... Why are you doing this? Going against it and wanting to destroy it?"  
  
Seifer's brow furrowed, and he abruptly backed off of Alexia. He averted his gaze, and seemed to be going over and over her question. When he looked back at her, his eyes flashed in strong anger.  
  
"What does it matter? I work for the Sorceress now, Alexia. Whoever is against her is my enemy. I thought you had that through your head by now."  
  
Her heart twisted. His tone was uncalled for and unwanted, and she didn't appreciate him using it toward her. "Excuse me? I happen to be your fiancee, Seifer, not one of your under-candidates you can talk to like that. It was a simple question, you don't need to bite my head off."  
  
What was hurt in her heart turned to stone cold fury. She grabbed her keys, and stormed out the door, yelling, "I'll show you yelling match!" before slamming the door in his face and getting in the car to drive to Fujin's.  
  
**********  
  
Alexia sat on the small couch that was actually very similar to the one she and Seifer had in their dorm. Fujin was in the kitchen, making some hot chocolate (for the little girls that were still inside them) while Alexia sat despondantly in the next room.  
  
They had decided not to go out, after Alexia showed up Seifer-less before Fujin could even leave to meet them  
  
She came out and handed her a hot mug and sat down as well. "BETTER?" she asked.  
  
Alexia nodded. "A little. Thanks a lot. I'm sorry tonight didn't turn out to be the fun I made it sound like it was going to be."  
  
"FINE."  
  
Alexia sighed. "It's just... Seifer's been acting really weird lately."  
  
Fujin sipped her hot chocolate, wincing a little at the scalding temperature. "NOTICED."  
  
Alexia blew out another breath of exasperated air. "I just don't know what to do with him."  
  
Fujin set her mug down on the cherry colored coffee table. "You get used to it. He's really dedicated to all this Sorceress crap, and he gets more than a little frustrated if you ask questions. Believe me, I know."  
  
Alexia's eyes looked as if they'd pop straight out of her head. Ironic, that just hours before, she'd been talking to Seifer about Fujin talking in full sentences. She felt a little stab of guilt for poking fun at her.  
  
Stammering as she spoke, Alexia managed, "R-really? You've...asked him questions about this Sorceress stuff before?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, but I've learned not to say anything anymore. It's not worth him being mad at me."  
  
Alexia was still shocked that Fujin was speaking normally to her. She tried to get the thought out of her head, but it was difficult. It really was a shock. "Well, what happened?"  
  
"I just asked him what he'd been doing whenever he went to visit with Edea. He'd get angry, tell me it was none of my business, and then he wouldn't talk to me. When he finally did, he acted as though the subject was never brought up."  
  
Alexia thought a moment. Was the Seifer Fujin was describing really the Seifer she had grown to love? She was beginning to believe it more and more as time went on.  
  
Alexia gripped the sides of her hot cup fervently, paying no heed to the burning sensation in her hands. Her mind was focused on Seifer...on Fujin's full way of speaking. She really was good to talk to when she didn't use one word, and Alexia enjoyed it. "I don't know what to do with him. We're supposed to get married after this whole Sorceress War thing he keeps talking about, but I don't even know if I'm ready. I don't know what to do, Fuj."  
  
Fujin reached over and took the steaming mug from Alexia's hands, revealing burn marks she didn't really even notice. Fujin took them in hers, and looked in Alexia's eyes with her single one.  
  
"Don't give up on him, Lex. I've known him since I was six, and take it from me, he can be a real ass when he wants to. But he can also be the sweetest guy in the world if you stick with him. This whole thing with Edea will pass, I'm sure of it. Your wedding seems to be pretty far off as of yet, and it's not worth it to throw in the towel now."  
  
Alexia smiled gratefully. Not only was she insightful, but Fujin was great at advice. She'd have to do this more often when she was stressed out. "Thanks, Fuj..."  
  
Going back to her regular form of speech, she waved a hand and said, "DON'T MENTION."  
  
Alexia looked down at her hands and saw how red they were. "That's what I get, I guess." The both of them laughed quietly.  
  
All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. Fujin exchanged a glance with Alexia. She hadn't been expecting anyone. She opened the door and saw Seifer standing there, looking slightly apprehensive.  
  
"Is Lexi here?" he asked. Fujin nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to come in. She motioned to Alexia, still seated on the couch, who was fidgeting anxiously.  
  
"I have to talk to you, Lex," he said quietly.  
  
"Why? So you can yell at me again like you did before?" Alexia asked with a nasty tone. Fujin gave her a look and shook her head, silently reminding her of what she had just said to her.  
  
Seifer looked down at his pants, brushing away an imaginary crumb. "I guess I deserved that."  
  
Alexia stayed quiet, biting her tongue from a snappy retort. He took her hands in the fashion Fujin had, but tender and lovingly. He stared straight at her, and attempted to redeem himself.  
  
"Look, I'm really, really sorry. Things are so confusing right now. I've been trying to balance my time between you and Edea, and it just hasn't been working very well. I've been having these stupid mood swings and taking it out on you when I shouldn't have, and I can't begin to apologize."  
  
Her hard expression softened, but she let him go on. If he was going to beg for forgiveness, she might as well make it worth her while.  
  
She waited, and then spoke. "How do you want us to remedy that, Seifer?"  
  
He thought about it for a moment, and seemed a little shy as he responded, "Maybe...I could give you more of my time?"  
  
The corners of her mouth rose slightly. "That's more like it. I'm sorry too...you...you don't have to answer my questions about the Sorceress if you don't want to."  
  
He shook his head in contradiction. "No, you can ask me anything you want. I'm not going to hide things from you, anymore." Then he grinned as well, although a bit more crazily, his eyes mischeivous. "You wanna go back home and fool around?"  
  
She smacked him on the shoulder, her jaw dropping a little. "Seifer!" she scolded, giving him a playful glare. "Not in front of Fujin!"  
  
"FINE," Fujin said, giving a wink Alexia's way. She was glad she'd been able to talk to Fujin the way she had, and was thankful for the advice.  
  
"You guys still wanna go out?" Seifer asked, faking hurt on his shoulder.  
  
Alexia shrugged, and replied, "Sure, why not? We still have time, don't we?"  
  
"TIME, YES," Fujin confirmed, checking her watch. "FUN."  
  
And indeed, they had the time of their lives. 


	5. There's vomit on his sweater already, Mo...

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and all it's characters belong to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: Even though we don't have too many reviews for this, we're still continuing it. It's just too much fun to write! But please, please, please review!! We'd really appreciate it and we'd love to know what other people think!!  
  
Alexia and Seifer entered the quiet, darkened dorm room. Both of them were still laughing about something that had happened while they were out. Raijin had gone along as well. They'd run into him on their way out and asked him to come along. He'd accepted with a "'Course I wanna come. It sounds like a lot of fun, ya know?"  
  
The smell of alcohol was on their breath. It wasn't rare that they would have a few drinks on their nights out, and tonight was no exception.  
  
Alexia plopped onto the bed heavily, still laughing a little. "Well, that was fun."  
  
Seifer took off his shoes and kicked them into the corner, nodding his agreement before sitting down beside her. "Then again, it always is."  
  
Alexia giggled at Seifer's comment, and raised her face to the ceiling. "True. I can't believe Raijin went up there and sang, 'We Are Family.'"  
  
Seifer laughed aloud in return. "Good old Raijin. Always up for a challenge. Now how 'bout we make one for ourselves?"  
  
Alexia's clouded eyes brightened, and her thin eyebrows rose high. "Oh yeah? What kind of challenge?"  
  
He smirked in his trademark way. Kissing her deeply, he wrapped his arms around her neck, and groaned.  
  
She tittered again as his lips released, and half-closed her eyes. "C'mon Seifer, we're both wasted. Should we really be doin' this?"  
  
He was taken aback slightly. "Why not? It's the most fun when we're bombed, isn't it?"  
  
Again, both of them bursted into laughter. She pushed him up, and breathed out, spreading the smell of alcohol.  
  
"Shall we?" she said dreamily, and fell back on the couch, passed out from the intoxication of the drinks they'd consumed.  
  
Seifer stared at her, amused, but also disappointed. He was looking forward to time alone with Alexia, but he also knew being drunk as they were wouldn't mean much. He scooped her up into his arms, and carried her into the bedroom, where they would sleep off their simpering characteristics, and would wake up with a massive headache.  
  
**********  
  
The light filtered through the window and fell on both their faces. Seifer didn't seem to be fazed by it; he was sleeping too deeply, but Alexia sat straight up, letting out a shriek.  
  
The sound caused Seifer to immediatly arise and he grasped Alexia's shoulder. "What's the matter?!" he asked, both groggily and frantically at the same time.  
  
She gripped her skull and put her head on her drawn knees. "My head... It hurts so bad!" she exclaimed.  
  
Seifer put a hand to the bridge of his nose, noticing a pang in his head as well. "That's what you get for downing at least half a dozen drinks in a few hour's time period," he told her as he laid back down.  
  
She shot him a glare. "You don't understand. My hangovers are always hell..."  
  
He looked over at her, sarcasm flickering in his emerald eyes. "Yeah, just like your period?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and punched the matress out of frustration, immediatly gripping her head once again due to the pain that shot through it. "Now see what you did?" she seethed.  
  
"Look, if you knew you got this bad, you really shouldn't have drank that much. It isn't my fault you have no self-control," Seifer said from under the blanket he had pulled over his face.  
  
She shook her head and got out of the bed. "I need an aspirin... or ten."  
  
Seifer chuckled slightly as he watched her leave the room, peeking his head out from under the covers, and rubbed his temples. He really did have the worst headaches after a night of drinking like they'd done, and the bright sunshine wasn't helping any.  
  
Hopefully it would be gone by the time 11 or so came around, and he and Alexia could enjoy themselves.  
  
He remembered bitterly the first time they'd gone out drinking with Fujin and Raijin. Last night they'd nominated Fujin as the Designated Driver, but that first night, they had stupidly forgotten to elect a person to be the DD. When all four were successfully smashed, Seifer got behind the wheel, far gone from logical reasoning.  
  
Keys in his hand, he was behind the wheel and unable to make good decisions. Not far from the bar, while he was laughing and having a good time with the other three people in the car, he didn't see the same size car coming straight at them.  
  
The car hit on Alexia's passenger side, smashing her legs in between the dashboard and the seat. Her seat didn't pin Fujin, who was in the backseat behind her, for the person in the vehicle hit the brakes fast enough that the collision wasn't as great as it could have been. Alexia was the only one harmed, adding tons of weight to Seifer's guilt when he was concious enough to feel it.  
  
He recieved a few cuts from the glass, but nothing more than minor slices. He immediately got out of the car, ignoring the urge to puke, and dialed 911. To this day, he hadn't completely forgiven himself, although she'd told him it wasn't his fault, it was all of their own.  
  
Feeling a little down at the flashback now, he tossed back the covers, attempting to fight off the pounding in his head, and followed Alexia into the kitchen.  
  
She was standing next to the sink, cupboard door open and asprin being shaken out into her hand. He shook his head, and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face in her neck.  
  
She laughed a little and began to put the lid back onto the bottle after retrieving the maximum amount she could take at one time. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"  
  
He set his chin on her shoulder and watched as she took the four small pills rather quickly. "I don't know. Do I have to have a reason to be loving?"  
  
She put the bottle back in the cupboard and turned in his arms, putting hers around his neck. "Just humor me."  
  
He planted a kiss on her forehead and moved over to the refridgerator, taking out the carton of milk and getting a glass from the strainer beside the sink. Alexia went over and sat at the table, still holding her head and moaning every now and then in pain.  
  
Seifer couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. He couldn't understand why, time after time, she would do this to herself. And everytime, it would be the same thing. You think eventually she'd learn...  
  
"So tell me. Why the mood swing?" she asked, her head still in her hands.  
  
"Would you believe me if I told you PMS?" he asked with a smile.  
  
She looked over at him, a smirk on her face. "Not really."  
  
He looked down at the glass in his hands. He couldn't tell her it was because he'd been thinking about the accident, and that he'd suddenly started feeling guilty about it again.  
  
Quickly, he thought of something along the lines of why he'd been feeling guilty, but still close to the truth. "I-I've just been thinking about how much you really mean to me, Lex."  
  
She tilted her head to the side a bit. Seifer could really be sweet to her in private. He wouldn't let it show to his friends or superiors, of course, but when they were by themselves, he was the Seifer she knew and truly loved. "You...you mean a lot to me too, Seifer. Everything."  
  
He continued staring at the thick white liquid, and licked his lips. "If anything ever happened to you..."  
  
Alexia frowned a little. She knew what he meant now. He didn't want to bring it up, but she knew he'd been thinking about the night of the accident. Slowly and quietly she stated without question, "You mean like the night of the accident."  
  
He never met her gaze, but was glad she'd been the one to say it. He nodded, and said, "I didn't see it coming..."  
  
Her eyes softened, and she headed over to where he was standing, moving his body to face her. She searched his eyes, and said firmly, "Listen, I'm not going anywhere. That night was a long time ago, and I'm here now. We learned our lesson, didn't we? Besides, you probably don't remember most of it." She said the last part with a quiet laugh, but he didn't show much of a smile.  
  
"Well still. Knowing I was the one behind the wheel that night doesn't make it any better. You kept telling me that it wasn't my fault, that we all should have known better than to go drinking without having someone sober enough to drive, but..."  
  
She put a finger to his lips to silence him. "No buts. It wasn't your fault, and that's the end of it. You know if anybody else were driving, the same thing could've happened. Remember when you asked Raijin to say the alphabet because you knew it would be hilarious? He threw numbers, and letters, and words in there that I've never even heard of. Do you know what would've happened if we let *him* drive?"  
  
Seifer had to laugh at that, and he looked deep into her eyes. She was the only person who could make him laugh like that. Sure, some of the other people he knew, like Raijin for instance, could do certain things to make him crack up, but not even the craziest of his antics could compare with even the smallest chuckles that Alexia caused. They just meant a whole lot more.  
  
"So is everything okay now?" she asked, bringing him out of his daze. "You feel better?" She smiled, causing him to do the same.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. Thank you."  
  
Finishing the glass of milk, he set the glass down in the sink and returned to the bedroom, Alexia on his tail. She watched as he dressed for the day, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You're not going to shower? Eww..."  
  
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "I don't have time, thanks to us sleeping in. Edea wants me in her chambers in fifteen minutes. What are you gonna do today?"  
  
She stood in the doorway, watching him pull on his trenchcoat. "I don't know yet, classes aren't until 1 this afternoon. I suppose I'll go down and try to stimulate my stomach with some food. How long do you have to be with Edea?"  
  
He seemed to think about that for a moment, and then shrugged. "I have no idea. Usually she takes around an hour to explain the day, and then I'm off to do all the things she needs me to."  
  
Her gaze narrowed. "What 'things?'"  
  
He smacked his forehead, and immediately regretted it as pain shot through it. "Ugh, we've been over this, Lex. I can't tell you, it's Sorceress business. Why can't we just let this go?"  
  
Alexia couldn't understand why these days were so volatile. One minute he was the sweetest guy in the world, and the next he was slamming her with attitude.  
  
She put her hands up in front of her in defense. "Fine Seifer, whatever you say. I don't want to get into this again. Let me know when you need me to be the Lapee."  
  
Seifer's jaw dropped. "What do you mean 'Lapee'? Why would you even say a thing like that?"  
  
She shrugged. "Well think about it Seifer. Doesn't it seem that way? Either that or you're just plain gone."  
  
Seifer shook his head. "I don't have time for this."  
  
"Yeah, I bet you don't."  
  
Seifer's voice became softened again. "Lex I'm being serious. I really thought we had an understanding about all this. If Edea found out I said anything before she wanted anybody to know..."  
  
"What then Seifer? What would happen?" She spoke as tears welled up in her eyes. Seifer had only seen her cry on very few ocassions, so this really ripped at his heart. "You'd lose your power? Is that why you're afraid to say anything?"  
  
He didn't say anything and ran a hand through his hair as he sat down heavily.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her wiping her eyes and heard her sniffling. And even with all the guilt he was feeling, he still wanted to glance at the clock and make sure he wasn't late to meet with Edea.  
  
She shook her head, her blonde hair shimmering in the light. "No, you know what, I'm tired of this." She pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, avoiding all contact with Seifer. Sniffling, she finished before she went out the door and shutting it quietly, "Have fun with your Master."  
  
Seifer grated his teeth together, looking over at the clock, now that he was safe. He raised himself from the bed, and in a fury of the rage he'd pent up dealing with Alexia's insecurity, punched a fist into the covers, reaching a spring and recoiling from it.  
  
"Damn you Lexi!" he shouted to no one, cradling his aching fist. Snatching his gunblade from the corner, he slammed the door, and headed in the opposite direction of his fiance.  
  
Seifer stomped down the hallway. He was the only person there at the time, which was slightly odd, so his footsteps echoed loudly. His mind was racing. His thoughts were skipping from Edea to all her plans and of course, to Alexia. He just hoped his inner problems weren't visible to other people. Especially the Sorceress.  
  
He stopped in front of the large doors and stood outside them for a few moments. After taking a deep breath, he pushed them open and went inside.  
  
Edea's chambers were dim, as usual, the only source of light being from the hundreds of candles lining the walls of the room. He looked to the center of the room, where she sat on a throne more fitting for a Queen rather than a Sorceress. Then again, Edea sure acted like she was a Queen...  
  
"Ah, my Knight, right on time. But today, barely." Her voice was silky and flowed like music.  
  
He cleared his throat, trying to think of an excuse, but he didn't need to. Edea had already started speaking again.  
  
"No matter. You are here and that is what is important. The day of the assassination is drawing closer. She does know about it, does she not?"  
  
Seifer knew the 'she' Edea was talking about without question. "Yes..."  
  
"Good. Make sure she prepares. There is no margin for error. If she fails, she will have to face the consequences."  
  
Seifer's placid stare turned to one of confusion. "Consequences? What consequences?" he said, watching Edea float up from her velvet covered chair.  
  
She glided toward him, making him feel a little light-headed and dizzy. Gazing intently at him, she replied, "Yes, my Knight, the consequences. Alexia must know that if she fails to do as I ask, and as you ask, she will be put to death."  
  
Seifer's jaw couldn't help dropping. Despite the fact that he was under Edea's spell, his heart wouldn't let his mind be completely controlled. He breathed hard, and kept his eyes locked with the Sorceress's.  
  
"Edea, I don't think..."  
  
"Silence!" she cut him off ubruptly and viciously, throwing her hands to the side. "I will have none of your protests. You are my Knight, dear Seifer, and you will do as I say."  
  
He bowed his head, unable to meet her violet orbs any longer. You're her Knight Seifer, she's right, he scolded himself. Don't let Alexia get in the way of Edea's success.  
  
Placing a slender hand on the top of Seifer's blonde head, Edea watched as his right knee hit the floor. She had him, alright. It was only a matter of time before she had his little wife-to-be in her clutches as well. Both of them would do her bidding, whether they liked it or not.  
  
"Go now, my lovely, and gather our forces. Tonight, we give our special parade."  
  
Seifer didn't look back at Edea even once as he turned and left the dark, almost eerie room. Before, being in that room made him feel special, powerful. Now, he couldn't help but feel awkward, afraid even. He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't like it.  
  
He stood outside the door with his back against it, not wanting to go anywhere else for fear he might run into Alexia. And the only reason wasn't because she was upset with him anymore.  
  
He sighed and rounded the corner. She said she was going to the cafeteria, so as long as he steered clear of that area, there wouldn't be much of a problem.  
  
He decided to go to the Library for a while. It was quiet all hours of the day. Of course it is Seifer, it's a Library for Hyne's sake, he told himself. He needed some time to think. His headache wasn't completely gone either. He wanted it to wear off as quickly as possible.  
  
He went inside, to find it absolutely silent, as expected. He walked to the back of the room, past about two dozen bookcases and found an empty table where he sat himself at.  
  
Placing his head in his hands, he blew out a long sigh. He rubbed along the lines of his cheek and temples, trying to rub away the new ache he felt that wasn't in his head, but his soul. Something inside him was sounding the alarm for him to escape Edea's control, but he wouldn't allow it to go free. How could he do this to himself? Not only to himself, but the only woman he loved more than the most important person in the world...himself.  
  
As if on cue, a bright blue color flashed in front of his eyes. It stopped suddenly, and moved backward to face him. Hip hugging jeans and a baby blue tank top covered Alexia's body, but her face was covered in a contemptful glare.  
  
Swallowing heavily, he raised his head. She stood still, and after a few moments of silence, said, "What are you doing here, Seifer? Weren't you supposed to be with Edea?" Her voice dripped with condecension, and it made his stomach churn.  
  
He sighed, and rubbed his left eye out of boredom. "Our meeting was over a few minutes ago. I came in here for some quiet to make this goddamned headache go away. What are you doing here?"  
  
Her eyes turned down to the books in her hand, all fiction, and then back to his, as if he was supposed to understand the motion. He waited for an answer, and said finally, "Well?"  
  
She rolled her eyes, and picked up one of the books. "Hello? It's called reading, Seifer, you should try it sometime."  
  
He closed his eyes, and fought away the urge to tell Alexia the real reason why he'd come in here. He couldn't let her know what Edea had said...not now, not this early. If he told her now, her state would only worsen, and she might not even be able to go through with the assassination. No, it was better not to tell her now.  
  
She tilted her head to the side. Something was definitely wrong. He never acted this way, especially after meeting with the Sorceress. Normally, he would be acting all high and mighty, almost as if he was too good for everyone else. But never did he act like this.  
  
She glanced around the room and took a chair from a nearby table, bringing it over and sitting down in it. "Hey... what's the matter?" she asked quietly.  
  
Seifer didn't reply right away. It was amazing how one minute, she totally hated him, and the next, she was asking him what was wrong. That only made him feel worse though. "It's nothing," he said despondantly.  
  
She shook her head, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "You can tell me, Seifer. You can tell me anything."  
  
He stared down at their interlocked fingers, a strange tearing feeling in his chest. He looked up at her face and forced a smile. "It's nothing, really. You don't have to worry about it."  
  
She looked in his eyes for quite a while. She knew he was lying. There was no way he wasn't. But it looked as if she wasn't going to get any more out of him than she already did, so she just let it go. "Whatever you say Seifer."  
  
She pulled her fingers away from his, and picked up her books. Without a backward glance, she left the library, saying, "I'll be in my room when you're ready to tell me the truth."  
  
**********  
  
He was tired. Tired and hungry. Since the encounter with Alexia in the library that morning, he hadn't been back to their dorm, and he hadn't seen her the rest of the day. He was to plan Edea's parade, and nothing could go wrong. He couldn't let the void he was feeling get in the way of the plans he and the Sorceress had made for months now.  
  
"Traver, is the float completed?"  
  
Traver looked toward his Captain, noting the weary look in his stature. Today wasn't a good day to screw up, he could tell already. "Yes sir, the throne for Sorceress Edea is ready for tonight. When is the parade to start, Sir?"  
  
Seifer racked his brains for the time of the parade. He knew it five minutes ago... "...17:30. I expect all of you," he said as he turned to address the entire room. "To be in your positions no later than 17:15. If you aren't, there will be punishment given."  
  
They all nodded at his words. "You're free until the parade. And don't screw up. This is very important. It could make or break all of us, this Garden, and even worse... Edea. So everything has to be perfect." Once again, everyone nodded in sync. They stood and exited the room, going in various directions.  
  
Seifer sighed. That's all he seemed to be doing anymore. That, and fighting with Alexia of course. He decided it was time to go talk to her, and at least try to make things right again. Besides, he needed to tell her something very important anyway.  
  
Inside the dorm, Alexia was looking over the costume she was to be wearing in the parade. It consisted of a dark purple halter top, and an extremely short black skirt. Not something she'd feel exactly comfortable wearing in public, but that wasn't one of her priorities. She glanced over at Seifer, who just stood leaning up against the closed door in silence.  
  
"Hardly saw you all day," she said quietly. "What a shocker."  
  
"Lex, um... I have something to tell you."  
  
"What?" She still couldn't look him in the face.  
  
"You're not..." He cleared his throat. "Edea doesn't want you in the parade."  
  
Her brow furrowed and her eyes finally met his. "Why not? You're going to be there aren't you?"  
  
"She says it's too risky to be showing you off like that. You're Galbadia Garden's sniper. If people saw that you were siding with the Sorceress freely, after the assasinations, they'd know it was you without a doubt."  
  
She forced a chuckle. "So that's it? That's how she's gonna get you? By not letting me in the parade?"  
  
"Lex... please. I don't know what you have against Edea, but..."  
  
She cut him off. "Seifer... she's... she's stealing you from me! Can't you see that?!" She quickly placed a hand over her mouth. Even though that's exactly how she felt, she hadn't wanted to blurt it out like that.  
  
Pure shock enveloped Seifer's tired face. Alexia had never once voiced something so...blunt. He hadn't a clue that was the way she felt, he knew she was angry because he hadn't spent as much time with her lately, but he didn't think Edea was *stealing* him from Alexia.  
  
"...W-what?"  
  
The hand remained closed over her mouth, and she shook her head back and forth in disbelief. The urge to say what she'd just said had been boiling since day one of this whole Sorceress crap, but she never meant for it to spill over. Closing her eyes, she attempted to regain her dignity...at least what was left of it.  
  
"Seifer...I...I didn't mean that..."  
  
Seifer waved off her stammering words. "No, you did mean that, Alexia. I can hear it in the sound of your voice. You lie like a rug, you know that?"  
  
Her face hardened slightly, and her heart burned a little at his tone. It seemed that was all she felt lately. He hurt her more than enough times in the past week. "No, you're right Seifer, I did mean that. This whole Sorceress Parade shit has been getting on my nerves since we got engaged, and I started living with you. Edea's been taking you away from me, you know that, but you don't want to admit it. I'm sick of fighting with you, and it's the last time I'm going to do it. I'm attending that parade whether you and your little Master like it or not, and there's no way you can stop me."  
  
She slammed the door to their room, threw on the outfit and messed with her hair a little bit, and while Seifer struggled to come up with a comeback to her speech, and as she left the dorm, he clasped his pounding head. Tonight was going to be a *long* night...  
  
Alexia had gotten about halfway to the front gate when she suddenly stopped short and hit her forehead, letting out a groan. She'd forgotten something very important back at their dorm: her sniper rifle. If she was going to be assassinating President Deling, her gun would come in handy, no doubt.  
  
She hated the thought of going back to the dorm where Seifer still was. She didn't want to talk to him, look at him, or even be in the same room as he was at that time. Things were just going to horribly anymore... She was even starting to have second thoughts on marrying him...  
  
She stood outside the door for a few moments, contemplating on whether or not to even enter, but she knew she had to or else everything would *really* get screwed up.  
  
She opened the door slowly, poking her head in first. Sure enough, Seifer was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands. Her heart sunk at the sight, but she didn't say anything to him as she went inside and opened the closet door, taking out her weapon from the very back, which had been beside Seifer's Hyperion.  
  
Seifer glanced up and watched as she made her way back to the door. Just as she was about to turn the knob and leave without saying a word to him, she took her hand from it and sighed. She just couldn't leave him that way; it broke her heart.  
  
"Seifer, look... I know the parade isn't far from now, but... do you think maybe we could work this out beforehand?" she asked hopefully.  
  
Suddenly gladdened by the change of heart Alexia had, Seifer jumped up off the bed. Folding his hands together, he stopped short in front of her, his eyes toward the floor.  
  
"I'd really love that. I've wanted to have a talk with you for a while now, but things have been so hectic...and we've been fighting so much..."  
  
She agreed heartily with that one. She didn't reach out to touch him, but the level of comfort in the room increased with his soft tone.  
  
"I just feel...a little taken over by her. You must feel about ten times that. And with all this assassination stuff, I've really needed you here. And you're always with her. I guess it's just my green side showing through."  
  
Seifer couldn't decide what to say to make things better. It was almost like he had a split-personality when it came to Edea and Alexia. He loved one, and he was certain who that one was, but what he felt for Edea was different. It wasn't passion or wonder, more like the need to feel secure by more than one person. Like a childish need for both parent's attention. He kept a neutral stance, hoping she'd keep her cool.  
  
"I...I don't blame you a bit for feeling that way, Lex. It's really confusing...how I've been working for Edea, but still trying to spend time with you. And I promise, from now on, I'll make time for you. No matter what she needs, I'm going to keep my nights and whatever other time of the day I can open. Just for you and me, okay?"  
  
She felt tears fill her eyes at his fair words. How long it would last, she couldn't be sure. Nodding absently, she let the wetness cascade down her cheek. Gripping her gun, she kissed him, and turned the knob.  
  
"I'd really like that. Thank you, Seifer. Now let's go! We have a parade to get to!"  
  
Before she headed out the door, however, he grabbed her wrist gently. "Actually, there's something else I need to tell you, Lex. It's...about tonight."  
  
She turned back to him, puzzlement in her eyes. "What is it, Seif?"  
  
He darted his eyes to the side, and fought silently with himself to tell her the truth or not. He seemed to be having a hard time with that these days. "I just wanted to tell you, when you go through with that assassination..."  
  
He hesitated, and she rose her eyebrows, waiting for an answer. "Yes?"  
  
At the last minute, he decided against it. "Just...be careful." 


	6. He's nervous, but on the surface he look...

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and all it's characters belong to Squaresoft.  
  
  
  
Seifer quickly sped down the road, along with many other cars that were on their way to the parade as well. Everyone was eager to meet the new "ambassador", Edea, who was supposed to bring peace to all the continents. Little did they know what was really in store for them when everything actually began...  
  
He glanced over at Alexia, who was in the passenger seat. She was staring straight ahead and wringing her hands in an uneasy manner, with her sniper rifle resting on her lap. "Hey... you okay?" he asked gently.  
  
She threw him a halfhearted smile to reassure him. "Yeah I'm fine. Just a little... nervous I guess." She couldn't remember if she'd told him that she'd never actually sniped a human before. Sure, she had used her sharpshooting skills on monsters and things of the sort, but never a human, although she knew eventually she'd be required to. After all, it was her job.  
  
The parade would start in Galbadia and travel to Deling City, where the President would introduce the Sorceress as the new peace ambassador. At that time, both Seifer and Alexia were to proceed to the roof of the highest buliding in the city, where she would take aim and take down President Deling after he was out of the crowd's sight. Then, the parade was to continue to Balamb and Edea would go into Garden and meet with the headmaster. Once again, Alexia and Seifer were to remain out of sight, but in an area that would leave her with an open shot. Two people dead in one night, all because of her.  
  
She felt her shoulder being shaken, and she turned to face Seifer. "Lex, you gotta stop zoning out on me, honey. Now come on, let's go. We have to be set up in less than ten minutes."  
  
She simply nodded and got out of the car.  
  
Her mind was clouded; frozen in thoughts that swirled like a whirlwind. Killing was a sin against Hyne...a terrible sin. Could she ever forgive herself for doing this? Would dreams haunt her for the rest of her life? She couldn't know, but she had to follow her heart. And her heart told her to do what Seifer asked her to.  
  
Alexia could understand Deling. He wasn't the greatest of leaders, he was an enemy of Edea's secretly, and he had to expect being assassinated one of these days. But Headmaster Cid? She'd met him on one occasion, and he was the sweetest man in the world to her. Could she really bring herself to kill him?  
  
"Alexia Krycek!"  
  
The voice broke her out of her third reverie. She sighed in a shuddering way, and knew it was time to focus. Seifer was getting angry with her.  
  
"Okay, okay. I'm coming." She grabbed her rifle, and followed Seifer up to her position. She placed her weapon at the top of the building looking down on the platform Edea was supposed to be on, and watched the crowd, now tiny dots beneath her, cheer like maniacs.  
  
Her heart pounded in her chest like never before. Vinzer Deling took to the platform, and flipped the microphone on. Her hands shook fervently, but she willed herself to make them stop quivering. You're a sniper, Lex, this is your job. You picked it, now go through with what you have to do.  
  
Alexia sat herself down on the cold, cement rooftop and sighed. Seifer walked along the edge a bit, a self-righteous smirk plastered on his face. After surveying it all, he finally plopped down beside her, taking her still trembling hand in his own.  
  
"Well... this is it," he said. "You sure you're okay? You're gonna be able to do this? You've been acting a little strange lately..."  
  
Alexia was about to come off with a smart remark, but she held her tongue. "I don't really have much of a choice right now, do I?" she asked blandly. Hm, still sounded smart...  
  
"Not really." In his mind, Seifer smacked himself on the forehead. He didn't want to come right out and say that if she didn't do it, Edea would kill her, but he hadn't wanted to sound so cold-hearted either.  
  
Alexia almost couldn't believe what she'd just heard. No comforting words, or even a reassuring smile came from him. She shook her head, realizing President Deling was stepping away from the podium and out of the crowd's sight. It was now or never...  
  
She lifted up the sniper rifle and peered down the scope. Slowly, she moved the weapon until Vinzer Deling's skull was right at the center where the crosshairs met... and pulled the trigger.  
  
Immediately, Alexia closed her eyes after the trigger was pulled. She'd kept them open as long as it took to take the shot, but didn't want to see the result. She heard Seifer gasp beside her, and knew it had to be pretty bad.  
  
"Oh Hyne..." he whispered, his gaze still fixed on the fallen figure. All that was left of Vinzer Deling was his body...the rest was covered in blood.  
  
Without looking at the scene on the stage, she turned away. She grabbed Seifer's hand, and led him off the cement building. They were to catch up with the Sorceress on her float, and they were to do it quickly, before the audience noticed Deling's body.  
  
Heading down the concrete stairs, she watched Seifer ahead of her.  
  
"Hyne Seifer...I can't believe I just killed someone..."  
  
She said it so softly she wasn't sure he'd even hear her, but he stopped in his tracks to look back at her.  
  
He stared her square in the face and spoke softly, but hurriedly. "You did what you had to do Lex. You know that. I'm really proud of you."  
  
She smiled a little and anxiously fidgeted with the weapon in her hands. "Thanks. That really means a lot to me to hear you say that Seifer."  
  
He gave a nod and pointed out to the float. "We'd better get moving. We don't have much time before people start to get suspicious."  
  
Alexia nodded her agreement, glad to be getting away from the area where she'd just taken someone's life from for the very first time. She allowed Seifer to take her wrist and lead her down to the street and along the back of the large crowd in the direction of Edea and the start of the parade.  
  
Edea was seated on the throne-like chair that was set up atop the heavily decorated float. So much time and work had been put into it all, and for what? It was just designed to hitch a ride to the next place where another life was to be taken.  
  
"Did you do it?" she quickly whispered to Seifer. He gave a nod and she smirked a little. After glancing over at Alexia, she told them to go back to their appropriate positions on the float and await their eventual arrival on Balamb.  
  
As they passed through the gates, Alexia couldn't help gazing at the beauty of this city. The sculpted buildings were carved in the most intricate of shapes, and for the most part, it was a clean city.  
  
As she ogled upwards, however, cold steel slammed down in front of them, blocking the float from going any farther down the streets of Deling City.  
  
Alexia raised an eyebrow at the scene before them. Who had done that? She took a sidelong glance at Seifer, who was glaring out at the night.  
  
Suddenly, she heard the roar of an engine coming up the street. This couldn't get more puzzling. A robin's egg blue colored convertible screeched beside the gates, and a good-looking guy who looked to be about her age jumped out of it.  
  
He sported a leather that looked to be a little too short for him, but was still appealing. Her mouth formed an, "O," at his looks, but she made sure Seifer couldn't see.  
  
The nameless, good looking guy raced up to the float, easily making his way through the steel bars, and scaled the side of the float. He stood in front of them, and Alexia couldn't help but stare.  
  
Seifer's hand went back to protect her, and she felt a little alarmed. Why would she need to be protected from this guy? But as he started to talk to him, she realized they knew each other.  
  
"Hey, it's Puberty Boy! I figured you'd show up pretty soon."  
  
Alexia wrinkled her nose. Puberty Boy? What kind of name was that? She tugged on his sleeve to try to get his attention, but he ignored her.  
  
"So, you've become the Sorceress's Lap Dog?"  
  
With a mocking glare thrown the nameless man's way, Seifer gave her a look to say, "I'll handle this."  
  
But Squall continued before Seifer could make a move.  
  
"I see you've got the Lap Dogette with you, as well."  
  
Alexia's jaw dropped. It looked as though someone as good-looking as this guy was had no manners whatsoever. She was about to say something back to him, but Seifer stopped her with a glare.  
  
"Don't get her involved in this, Squall. Now what are you doing here?" Seifer snarled.  
  
So, his name was Squall. Alexia looked back and forth from Squall to Seifer, and Seifer to Squall. She didn't know how they knew each other, but apparently, things weren't all peachy keen between them, and with the way Seifer was, she knew it wouldn't be pretty.  
  
"Seifer, what's going on?" she finally decided to ask, keeping one eye on Squall and the other on her fiance.  
  
"I told you, I'll take care of this," he whispered harshly.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. It appeared that Seifer had a few things that she didn't know about. Very important things. "You'd better tell me right now Seifer. Who the hell is he, and what the hell is he doing here?"  
  
Squall interuppted her interrogation with a question on his own. "Seifer, why are you doing this? Can't you see you're just a puppet in all of this, that you're being used? And turning against your home this way..." He shook his head. "I never thought you would do something like this Seifer. I knew you were bad, but I never thought you were capable of *this*."  
  
Seifer laughed rather loudly at the words. "This really isn't any of your business. I'm living my dream, my romantic dream, and there isn't anything you can do to ruin it! I'm the Sorceress's Knight, and whatever Edea wants, I see to it that she gets. Somebody like you can't stand in my way."  
  
Squall couldn't believe what he was hearing. Seifer was stubborn, he knew that, but he didn't think he was stupid.  
  
Alexia watched as they traded the insults. She could see the look of pure hatred Seifer was wearing, but couldn't understand this Squall person. He hadn't even bothered to introduce himself to Alexia properly, he just gave a nasty comment. Yet he was voicing the point she'd been trying to make to Seifer all those times they'd fought about Edea.  
  
What history did they have? Why were they so intent on sizing up one another? She couldn't tell. Some past event between them had to be setting them off, but she'd never know unless Squall or Seifer gave her some explaination.  
  
With a sigh, Squall could see no other choice but to fight Seifer. He quickly looked at Alexia, and then back to Seifer. "I hate to do this in front of her, but it's time we end this, Seifer."  
  
Alexia couldn't have been more confused. They were going to fight now? On the Sorceress's *float,* for Hyne's sake?  
  
Shouting now, she said, "Would someone PLEASE explain to me what's going on!?"  
  
Squall looked at her as if she had just grown another head.  
  
Seifer turned to her once more. "Alexia, I told you, just wait a minute while I finish this out, and I'll explain, okay?"  
  
Childishly, she stomped her foot. "No! I want to know now, dammit!"  
  
He made a motion for her to be quiet, but Squall interrupted. "Aren't you going to at least tell her, Seifer? She deserves to know why I'm here, doesn't she?"  
  
His voice was quiet, emotionless. She noted the tone, and wondered what kind of personality he possessed. Still waiting for an answer from Seifer, she tapped her foot impatiently.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Seifer still said nothing, silently fighting with himself about how to explain he and Squall's history. Instead, Squall took it upon himself.  
  
"Fine, if you won't, I will. Alexia, isn't it? You see that scar on your boyfriend's forehead?"  
  
Alexia nodded, still incredulous, wondering where this was going. "Has he ever told you where he got that?"  
  
This time, she shrugged. "He said it was in a battle a long time ago. Why?"  
  
Squall chuckled dryly, pointing to the one on the bridge of his nose, almost identical to Seifer's, yet going in the opposite direction on his face.  
  
She scoffed. "Quit talking in riddles and get to the point. What does any of this have to do with the scars the both of you have?"  
  
"Well first of all, he's the one who did this to me, so in return, I did the same to him," Squall said simply.  
  
Alexia looked confused. "And...?"  
  
"And, we've basically been enemies ever since. Or rivals, if you prefer."  
  
"And since he's an almighty SeeD now, he wants to stop Edea," Seifer said, cutting into the conversation.  
  
Seifer balled his hands into fists. Simply being around Squall made his blood boil, and the fact that Alexia was so intrigued by what he was saying only made him angrier. He'd seen the way she looked at him when he'd first shown up, only he didn't say anything to her about it.  
  
Alexia became lost in thought again. She understood mostly everything now, thank Hyne. Like why Squall had even shown up, and why Seifer hated him so much. But what did Squall mean when he said he and Seifer had to end this? Was he really talking about killing Seifer? Well she wasn't about to let that happen. She wouldn't stand around and watch some stranger murder the man she loved right in front of her eyes.  
  
"So come on Puberty Boy," Seifer said as he hopped down off the side of the float. "I've been waiting for this time to come for a long time now. Show me what you got."  
  
"Seifer, what do you think you're doing?" Alexia asked as she began to panic, watching him swing the gunblade in a menacing manner.  
  
"You heard the man," he told her. "We gotta end this."  
  
Alexia jumped down as well and grasped his arm. "Seifer, come on. Think about this, you could get seriously hurt. I wouldn't even put it past this guy to actually kill you. What am I supposed to do if that were to happen?"  
  
He gave her a look and gently shoved her away from him. "Nothing's gonna happen to me," he said coolly.  
  
She watched him go, pain filling her expression. She wanted nothing more than to simply keep him safe by her side, no Edea to be jealous of, no Squall to be rivals with. And as she stared on at them, her eyes fell on this mysterious stranger. She knew he was a SeeD at Balamb Garden, thanks to Seifer's smart remark, and knew he and Seifer didn't get along. But there was something missing from their history. From his history. There had to be logic and reason for that stoic face. But what on Hyne's green land could it be?  
  
As she pondered these thoughts, both men loaded their weapon. As she saw when she squinted, a large beast was engraved into the side of his gunblade, although she couldn't make out exactly what it was. Seifer pointed his Hyperion at Squall's almost identical weapon, and there seemed to be a sort of spark between them. Some kind of power that existed when the two were together. Something told her that if they were to join forces, they alone could create a hell for their enemy.  
  
"You ready to go down, Squall?" Seifer asked, his sword motionless in his steady hand. Squall's eyes focused, and Alexia took a step back, fearing what was about to happen.  
  
Without saying anything in return, Squall made the first move. He brought his gunblade down upon Seifer's, which was ready to counter already. The clang of metal upon metal grated on Alexia's nerves, and she squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
Squall withdrew, preparing for another strike, and Seifer laughed contemptuously. "You'll have to do better than that to stop me, Squall!"  
  
Alexia's heart pounded. She didn't want either of them to fall. As cliche as she knew it was, didn't these two know how to play nice? Couldn't they just be friends? Silently, she said a prayer for their safety.  
  
Seifer went in this time, but Squall was ready. Backing off, Seifer decided to call in the reinforcements. He brought his gunblade up and yelled, "Fire Cross!" A spout of fire shot over at his opponent, knocking him backward. While Squall was blindsided, Seifer went in, swiping his gunblade on Squall's shoulder. A cry of pain erupted from him, and Alexia's heart sunk in her chest. One way or another, she knew this fight wouldn't end in a pretty way, no matter who the victor was.  
  
Alexia found it hard to watch the brutal, yet somewhat graceful scene play out in front of her, but she had to keep her eyes locked on them. She couldn't bring herself to shut them out in the darkness of her own eyelids, no matter how much she really wanted to. It was almost as if the entire battle had been rehearsed, and the both of them knew exactly what the other would do next. It was almost eerie at how perfected everything was.  
  
Sparks flew from the blades as they came in contact with each other multiple times in the air between them, sending screeching sounds through the heavy atmosphere. She was still amazed by the fact that Edea hadn't come yet to see what the commotion was.  
  
Her thoughts seemed to have been formed too soon, as a very upset looking Sorceress emerged from the front of the float, her eyes wild with anger and her face twisted into a horrid scowl. "You!" she cried as a slender finger pointed toward Squall. Seifer, after seeing Edea had arrived, immediatly backed off of his rival, breathing heavily, sweat forming on his forehead.  
  
He glanced over at Alexia and smiled proudly, as if he were trying to say "Did you see what I did? Aren't you proud of me?" She just glared at him and shook her head. Did he think almost killing someone, and almost getting himself killed as well, was really going to impress her?  
  
"What do you think you are doing?!" Edea exclaimed.  
  
Squall held his weapon up high again, remaining in a fighting stance even after Seifer had withdrawn. "I'm stopping you, that's what I'm doing," he said lowly.  
  
Suddenly, Edea turned to Seifer, an equally irritated look on her elegant face. "And you... You were supposed to prevent this!"  
  
Seifer's self-righteous appearance faded dramatically, and quite visibly. He said nothing as his emerald eyes lowered to the ground.  
  
Even so, Edea continued bitterly. "You are a pathetic excuse for a Knight, Seifer Almasy. I cannot believe the fate of my life and everything I am set to achieve has rested in your worthless hands."  
  
Alexia stared piteously at her fiancee below them. He couldn't bring himself to meet Edea's furious eyes, and she knew he had taken quite a blow to his bursting ego. Squall merely stood, looking on at his now weak rival.  
  
As silence prevailed over the scene, two other people her age raced up to join Squall. She couldn't fathom where all these people were coming from. Were they all SeeD's? He must have one hell of an army behind him. They just kept appearing out of nowhere.  
  
"We're comin, Squall!" a high pitched voice called, and two girls ran up to his side. "That Sorceress is goin dowwwwn!"  
  
Squall didn't seem as enthusiastic as the perky brunette stridled up beside him, and a slim figured, raven haired girl as well. The raven one nodded in agreement with the perky girl, and both seemed to know Squall well.  
  
Edea snickered at the sight. "You are going to fight me? We will see how far you get, young ones. Knight, see to it that this never happens again, or you will be banished from my realm forever. Please excuse yourself for now."  
  
Alexia waited for a signal for her to follow him, but recieved none as he sulked away. She watched the three fighters walk up on the float, and thought it best to move out of the way.  
  
Edea made no notion that she needed help. Squall, as well as the two girls that had joined him, looked fully prepared to take on the Sorceress, and vice versa.  
  
Almost immediatly, weapons began slashing, swinging and flying, and various magic spells were cast.  
  
The backlash of a strong Firaga spell sent even Alexia, who had been standing a good distance away, flying backwards, painfully hitting the ground.  
  
Edea gave the girl a quick glance. She couldn't take the chance of Alexia getting hurt. With Irvine gone to Hyne-knew-where, she was the only chance Edea had at getting rid of Headmaster Cid... without getting caught.  
  
"Alexia, I want you to go with Seifer," she commanded.  
  
Alexia hoisted herself up from the ground, wincing at the pain that shot up and down her spine and nodded. She turned and headed in the direction the Knight had gone.  
  
"Who was that Squall?" the raven haired girl murmured.  
  
"Apparently Seifer's new girlfriend."  
  
Alexia came upon Seifer in a dishonorable state, or at least, he would've thought so. His face was buried in his hands. She only hoped he wasn't crying; that would kill her. "Seifer...?"  
  
She lightly touched his shoulder, but he flinched away, and she gasped quietly. He'd never done that before, and it hurt immensely. "I...I just wanted to make sure you're okay..."  
  
He said nothing, and merely stalked away, his dark boots ringing throughout the area. She didn't know where he would go, there were only so many places in a closed gateway, but she figured it best to leave him alone for now. He'd just been humiliated in front of Squall, and he needed time to recover. Looking away, she picked at a nail, unsure of what to do. So, intent on finding out what was happening with Squall's battle, she eavesdropped to the best of her ability from where she was.  
  
She wasn't surprised to hear streams of magic spells and Guardian Forces being called out by the three fighters. The two feminine voices were the most distinct, and she could hear Edea fighting back.  
  
She climbed half-way up the float to sneak a peek at the battle up close, and came face-to-face with a dark leather boot, a buckle adorning the top. A slender leg led up to the face of one of the women, Alexia didn't know her name.  
  
Her eyes widened a bit at the shock of the close object to her face, but she ignored the girl, hoping she wouldn't be noticed. She watched as Edea stopped their attacks, and began to conjure a spell in the air.  
  
Suddenly, a great block of ice appeared above her head, causing Alexia to gasp. She made a forward motion with her thin hands, and it raced toward Squall. Before she had time to think about acting on it and trying to save him, it plunged into his stomach area.  
  
The girl next to her turned and let out a scream, and she watched in astonishment as he fell backward, off the float, and toward the cement ground next to her.  
  
Alexia couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. She also couldn't stop her stomach from turning itself over in her gut. How could Edea have done something like that? Or rather, how could Seifer let her do something like that?  
  
The raven haired girl turned to face her. Aparently, she'd known she was there the entire time. Hate filled her dark eyes as she stared coldly down at her. "This is all your fault!" she shrieked before racing over to Squall's fallen form.  
  
  
  
Review please!!! 


	7. To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin...

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and all it's characters belong to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: So glad to see everyone's liking this so far! We only have a few things to say, and that's to the reviewer by the name of The Kosmic V-Babe. We already decided that since Alexia's with him and she's his fiancee, he'd be less rude all the time. And we figured having Irvine fighting Edea would be a little weird, since Alexia became Galbadia's top sniper after he left, so we just stuck Selphie in there instead (lol). It's true that Edea killed the President in the game, but for the sake of the fic, we needed to change that. The thing about Squall and Seifer being rivals since the orphanage, well... Guess all we can say is "Oops!" Haha, everyone makes mistakes right? But thank you for the review, we really appreciate it! We hope to see more reviews for this chapter as well!  
  
  
  
"Seifer, I don't get it. Why does Edea want Squall and the others thrown in prison?" Alexia asked as she and Seifer walked down one of the many halls of the D-District Prison. She didn't know where they were heading to, but when he'd asked her if she wanted to come with him, she accepted the offer without hesitation. Any chance to know what was going on couldn't be passed up.  
  
He sighed. "She wants to know the true meaning of SeeD." His voice was cold and uncaring, but she didn't seem to be affected by it.  
  
Her brow furrowed. "True meaning of SeeD?" Now she was confused even more.  
  
"She thinks there's some secret that you're given when you become a SeeD. Since SeeD's top objective is to destroy the Sorceress, she needs to know what it is."  
  
She scoffed. "And imprisoning them is the way to go about doing it?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
His eyes narrowed. "Whose side are you on anyway?!"  
  
She was taken aback by his outburst, and the fact that he'd gotten angry so quickly. She just figured everything was getting to him, and let it go for the most part. "Seifer, you shouldn't have to question whose side I'm on; it's always gonna be yours. It's just... it would really help me out if I knew everything that was going on. Then maybe I could help you."  
  
"Lex, you've helped me more than you could ever know. And I promise that I'm gonna sit down with you and forget all about what's going on. It's just gonna be you and me." He put his arms around her waist.  
  
She smiled a little. "But just not yet, right?" She laughed quietly.  
  
Even though she seemed okay with it, he still felt awkward about admitting that her words were right. They had stopped at a metal door, one that led to a room. A torture room.  
  
She stepped into the cold room with Seifer, still a little aggravated that he continued to lash out at her any time she gave a hint of doubting Edea's ways. She knew he was edgy, but in her mind, that didn't give him rights to treat her like Chocobo shit.  
  
She gasped as she saw Squall. He looked like he was going to be crucified, or had been already, with the way his body was limp against the wall, and his head hung to the side. She figured he'd been knocked unconcious by another one of Edea's thugs, and was strewn up there like a puppet, awaiting treatment from the one she loved. What would Seifer do to him? She didn't know if she wanted to watch.  
  
He approached Squall with a look on his face Alexia had never seen before, and never wanted to see again. It struck fear into her heart that it had never experienced, even in one of their heated fights. It was a look of pure malice and hatred, a smile mixed into it. What came out was an evil stare that made her want to run as far away as possible.  
  
"S-Seifer...?" she called to him softly, her cracking voice echoing in the large chamber. He whipped his head around to face her, put a finger to his mouth, said, "Shh!" very harshly, and turned back to his helpless prey.  
  
Squall stirred, bringing his head up from the wall. Seifer threw her a glare as if to say, "Now look what you did?" She shrugged, and kept watching Squall.  
  
"Ugh..." he groaned, his eyes opening and squinting to see. "Seifer?"  
  
Seifer approached him further, and looked up at his rival. "Well, well, looks like pathetic Puberty Boy is finally awake. Did you miss me?"  
  
She'd meant to ask Seifer about that stupid name. Where did Puberty Boy come from? She figured it was an inside thing, but knew it was probably only funny to one side of the party. That side being Seifer, of course. With their relationship the way it was, she couldn't see them laughing and joking about things together.  
  
"What happened to me?" Squall asked, a little more aware now. "What did you do to me?"  
  
Alexia cowered back behind Seifer, hoping Squall wouldn't notice her. She didn't want to get in the middle of another fight, or be blamed again for what happened to him. Seifer moved toward some kind of control panel, and looked back up at him. "Edea's orders," he stated almost coldly, and flipped a switch on the panel.  
  
Suddenly, in front of Alexia's eyes, bright bolts of electricity entered Squall's body, causing him to convulse and cry out with agony. She screamed as loud as he, unable to tear her gaze away from the horrifying scene.  
  
Seeing Alexia's reaction, Seifer didn't allow Squall to suffer for a long time, although he silently wished she hadn't been there. Then he could really show Squall how much of a "lapdog" he was, without her protests.  
  
She turned quickly to face him, her eyes flickering with the glossiness of tears. "What do you think you're doing?!" she cried.  
  
Seifer's smirk didn't fade. Neither did the haunting aura surrounding him. "Doing what needs to be done." His tone was simple, and also unkind. Alexia was seeing more and more of a side of Seifer that she didn't like. She didn't like it at all.  
  
"So Squall, tell me what SeeD is. Edea demands to know."  
  
Squall was silent for a while. "Don't you already know?"  
  
Alexia winced, waiting for Seifer to lash out at Squall's less than cooperative attitude. He simply chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not a SeeD. There must be some sort of secret you're given when you become a SeeD."  
  
"There's nothing," Squall said immediatly. "And even if there were, you think I'd tell you?"  
  
"You're on my tough-nut-to-crack list. Didn't think you'd talk that easily."  
  
"Geez, I'm honored," came the slurred reply.  
  
Alexia saw Seifer's grip tighten on the switch.  
  
"Seifer, don't..." Alexia began lowly.  
  
"Stay out of this," he barked.  
  
Her brow furrowed. Since when did he tell her to stay out of his business so bluntly? She could understand certain times when he'd appreciate her not bothering him. In fact, she felt the same on a number of occasions. But this time was different. It was unneccesary and definitely uncalled for.  
  
She made her way over to him, taking his hand and removing it from the switch. He didn't pull away, just stared her in the eyes.  
  
"I don't understand you anymore." She kept her voice low, sensing the fact that he didn't want Squall to hear their conversation. "What's happening to you?"  
  
He sighed, taking quick glances at Squall, whose eyes were locked on him. Needless to say, he didn't feel extremely comfortable showing his sensitive side quite then. "We'll talk later, okay?"  
  
"No, we'll talk about this now!" Alexia declared, her voice a little louder than she meant it to be. She piqued Squall's interest with her raised tone, even in his state of pain, and he looked at her like she was a demanding bitch with nothing better to do than boss around her boyfriend. The look she recieved from Seifer was quite different. It was strongly disapproving and hard. She gulped, but refused to back down.  
  
"I'm sick of you treating me like dirt, Seifer Almasy! What you're doing to Squall is cruel and unusual punishment, and you know that! I want you to listen for once! Is that so much to ask?"  
  
He grabbed her by the arm, verging on hurting her. She yelped quietly, and looked at his vicious stare. "Look Alexia, I said we'll talk about this later. I'm doing this for Edea, okay? I don't need you interfering with something you don't understand!"  
  
And then it hit her. She was second to someone she didn't even fully know. The order in Seifer's life put her last...and she finally realized it. It wasn't jealousy, it wasn't spite, hell, she'd even take obsession. It was that he cared more about impressing a World Dominating psycho than her. He cared more about torturing some innocent SeeD for information than he did working things out with her and discussing where there relationship was going. Which in her mind, it was going down the tubes at this rate. Anger surged through her at the thoughts, and she told herself she wouldn't let him get to her.  
  
"Ugh, how many times have I heard that you're doing this for Edea? 'Edea this, Edea that,' 'I can't do that because of Edea,' 'I can't go out with you tonight because I have something to do for Edea.' I'm so sick of hearing it! I'm second to her, Seifer...I...always have been, haven't I?" With that, she turned from him, wriggling her arm away from his grasp, and ran out of the dirty chamber.  
  
Squall looked on at his rival, still trying to breathe regularly from the electric shocks that were coursing through him moments before. "Looks like your girl is a little tired of you being a Lap Dog too," he said matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow. "You wanna let me go now?"  
  
Seifer shook his head, still hurt by Alexia's words. They'd fought before, so many times before, and he couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong with him. He loved her so much, but how did he keep hurting her like this? It was like he was being controlled by another force that wanted to hurt her. Wanted to keep the fights going. He had to put a stop to this...but something always held him back. Something always pushed him to do Edea's bidding first, instead of going after the one he was going to marry in a few months. Or years, he thought silently. I might never marry her if we keep this fighting going. Who would want me like this anyway? She doesn't deserve that. She never did. And yet...  
  
"She still loves me," he whispered, so softly Squall could barely pick up the sound. But before he had time to ask questions, Seifer turned on him again. "I don't think so, Puberty Boy, we're going to finish this whether she likes it or not, alright? It's none of your goddamned business anyway. Now tell me what I asked already! Or you're getting it again!" He'd go after her later...once Edea's favor was fulfilled.  
  
I hate him, she thought bitterly as she hurriedly walked down corridor after corridor, trying to get as far away from Seifer and all the pain he was causing her at the moment. But somehow, she knew eventually he'd follow her to wherever she'd go. At least that's what he would've done in the past. After everything that was going on, she didn't know if he cared enough to do that anymore.  
  
At the time, they weren't in Galbadia Garden, so she didn't have the cozy dorm room to go back to. Instead, there was a simple bedroom where she and Seifer were to stay in the D-District Prison. Neither of them had spent any time in it together, so it didn't feel the same to her. It was lonely. No matter how mad she was at him, there were still times she wished things were different.  
  
She entered the empty, mostly bare room, closing the door behind her and leaning up against it. Her eyes traveled around the room, her vision becoming blurred by salty tears that she refused to let fall. She hardly ever cried over Seifer, and she wasn't about to start now.  
  
She moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. She ran a hand along the stiching of the comforter that was laid over the sheets. She swallowed hard, trying to hold back the sob that had reached her throat. It didn't matter how hard she tried though. The tears, as well as the sobs came like a tidal wave. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried so hard, and she hated to think it was all because of Seifer.  
  
Over the sound of her own sobs, she couldn't hear the sound of footsteps outside the room, or the door opening. All she felt were hands on her shoulders.  
  
She clenched her eyes tight, squeezing a few more tears in the process, and didn't bother looking up at the visitor. She knew already who it was, and she didn't want to see him at the moment. She was so angry...but so hurt at the same time. Couldn't he just give her space for a while? You were the one who wanted him to come after you, Alexia, she thought to herself. Isn't this what you wanted? She sniffed, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but didn't make a move to meet his eyes.  
  
There was silence between them, until suddenly Seifer picked her up off the bed. She let out a startled yelp, and refused to meet his eyes once he put her up to his face. He turned her cheek to face him, but she closed her blue pools tight in stubborness. His face fell, and he tried hard to get her to look at him. "Come on, Lex," he pleaded, stroking the side of her face with his knuckle. "Please...just look at me?"  
  
She stuck her nose in the air at his plea, and made a grunt in reply. He smirked at her behavior, and found the solution to the problem. He set her back down on the bed, and began to tickle her sides, causing her to laugh uncontrollably. When he stopped, she had tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks, and immediately set her face back to angry mode. She looked right up at him and said, "That was so low, Seifer Almasy."  
  
He tried hard to keep a laugh down, it was so perfect. He didn't care if it was a low blow, it worked on her. "I had to find some way to get you to look at me. You gave me no choice, Alexia...Krycek." As he said her last name, he swooped her up again in his arms, causing her to give another surprised cry. He kissed her lips, but she pulled away.  
  
"I'm still mad at you," she stated, pushing his face away from hers. "You're not out of the doghouse yet, Mister."  
  
He frowned, and looked remorseful. "I'm sorry, okay? I know we've been through this hundreds of times, and I don't want to go through it again. I love you dammit, I want us to be together. But...I have obligations. You know that, Lexi."  
  
She pulled at a hangnail, and mumbled an, "I know."  
  
"I promise, this whole thing with Edea will be over soon. She'll accomplish what she needs, and the most important thing will happen."  
  
She sighed, and rolled her eyes a bit. "What's that?" she asked sarcastically, "World domination? Terror in the streets?"  
  
He gave her a stern look, and another tickle in the ribs, instigating another squeak from her. "No," he corrected after she glared at him. "Marrying you. You'll soon be Alexia Almasy. I'll call you Double A." He chuckled after he gave her the nickname, and she struggled to keep one down. It was the weirdest nickname she'd heard in her life, but it was funny, nonetheless. He was sure there was to be a wedding...but was she?  
  
"What if there isn't a wedding?" she said without thinking, and instantly wished she'd kept her mouth shut. He looked at her incredulously, and set her down on the mattress again. Hurt entered his emerald eyes, confusion sparking in them as well.  
  
"What do you mean no wedding? I thought...you don't...want to get married?" he said, the look on his face tearing her to pieces. She put her hands on his mouth to silence him, and thought quickly about how to remedy what she'd just said.  
  
For a split second, Alexia thought she saw a glint of moisture along the lids of his eyes, but he was quick to blink them away before she could be sure.  
  
"Seifer, I... I didn't mean that..." she began, she beganm tripping over her tongue in the process.  
  
Seifer's eyes were no longer kind. "You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it," he told her sharply. He turned away from her and stared out the window, unable to look her in the eye.  
  
"You're right," she said softly. She lifted her gaze from the floor, staring a hole in the back of Seifer's head. "But you can't stand there and tell me you blame me for feeling this way." He turned back around, still not saying anything. "Seifer, up until now it hasn't even been mentioned since you asked me to marry you."  
  
Seifer put his hands over his eyes and rubbed them gently. "I know, Lex, I know..."  
  
Despite his somewhat submissive response, Alexia continued. "I mean, a wedding just doesn't plan itself, you know." She paused long enough to wipe her eyes again. "I know you have a job to do Seifer, I really understand that. It's just... is a little of your time really so much to ask?"  
  
His emerald eyes immediatly softened. He walked back over to where Alexia was and sat down next to her. He ran a hand through her hair as he spoke. "Of course it isn't. And that's exactly why the rest of the night I'm spending with you and only you."  
  
Her eyes brightened and a smile crept to her lips. "You serious?" He smirked and nodded. "But..." Her face became depressed once again. "Don't you have interrogations to do?"  
  
"That's what those guards are for. They don't get paid to stand around and do nothing, right?"  
  
Alexia laughed to show good nature once again. "Oh, and Seifer?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I can't wait to be Double A."  
  
*********  
  
After a dinner of macaroni and cheese fixed by Grandmaster Chef Seifer, he poured a glass of wine for both of them. He had dimmed the lights long before, setting a romantic mood, and watched her face glow in warm candlelight. She'd laughed as she commented on the gourmet meal, but grew serious while she sipped the wine in silence. It was so nice to have a full evening devoted to their relationship, and she appreciated him taking the time to do it. She knew it couldn't be easy to just let his duites lie, but it was incredibly sweet of him to do it for her. She was beginning to feel like he was the Seifer she really knew again.  
  
She thought about all this in the stillness of the room, and looked up to see him watching her. He blushed a little, and she smiled. "What are you thinking?" she asked, breaking the quiet.  
  
He shrugged, and locked her gaze. "How much I don't tell you I love often enough. It's no wonder you don't want to marry me..."  
  
She brought a finger to her lips, her brows furrowing. "No, no, Seifer. Don't you think that. Ever. You forget I ever said that, okay? It never happened. I know you love me, I do."  
  
He attempted a small smile and replied with, "And I know you love me. But...somewhere other than the night. This is the only time I ever tell you I love you."  
  
Alexia reached her hand across the table, lacing her fingers in his. She couldn't find any right words to respond. She didn't want to say he was right, because the night really was the only time she ever heard the words come out of his mouth, but she didn't want to say he was wrong, either, or it would continue to be that way. She remained silent, and he got up from his seat, taking his hand gently away from hers. She watched him move over to her side, and smile down at her. She smiled back up at him, but a questioning look was in her eye at what he was going to do. Bending down, he kissed her lips passionately, and reached over to bring her up from her seat. She couldn't hide mild surprise, but gave in to his kisses gladly.  
  
"I love you so much," he declared between lip partings. "I never want to be away from you...I don't care if the whole world knows it..." Inside, she leaped for joy. That was all she wanted to hear. He moved her slowly toward the bed, and she began to slide her hands up his back, causing a shiver to run through him. She was pleased at the reaction, and started to unbutton his shirt, revealing his toned chest against her still clothed body. Heat rushed through them intensely, both knowing what was about to happen for the first time in their relationship. They'd saved themselves for the right time, and knew that now was the moment. He slid the thin straps on her dress she'd changed into down her shoulders, rubbing them and holding her tight, all the while their lips still twisting in every sensual curve imaginable.  
  
"Hyne, this is all I've wanted for the longest time," she gasped, her breathing coming in irregular beats now. "I love you more, Seifer Almasy..."  
  
He shook his head in disagreement, further unclothing his fiancee. She fumbled with the zipper on his pants, paying attention to the kiss, sliding her tongue in and out of his mouth, and slid them down on the floor. Her dress was already gone, and she knew they were as close as they were ever going to get. Seperating their lips and opening her eyes, she looked up at him lovingly, her eyes smoky and far off. She looked into pools much like her own, holding the same emotions. "Are you ready for this?" she asked quietly, her breath still shallow. He nodded, and two bodies converged into one on that night. 


End file.
